Support plate for an element for retaining a boot on a gliding board

ABSTRACT

A support plate provided to be associated with an element for retaining a boot on a gliding board. It includes a base provided to be affixedly connected to the ski, a pedal fastened to the base, movable on both sides of a centered position, with an upper surface provided to receive the boot sole. A wire spring is fastened to the base on one side, and to the pedal on the other side, and between its points for fastening to the base and the pedal, the spring is bent with at least one elbow.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a support plate provided to be associated with an element, i.e., a binding, for retaining a boot on a gliding board, such as an alpine ski.

[0003] The invention also relates to the retaining element including such a support plate.

[0004] 2. Description of Background and Relevant Information

[0005] Among the types of support plates known in the field of endeavor, i.e., ski bindings, the invention relates more particularly to a type of support plate that takes the form of a movable pedal, the pedal being the portion on which the boot rests. For such a support plate, the pedal accompanies the boot in its lateral displacement and returns to a centered position in the absence of a boot, i.e., upon release of the boot from the binding. There is little relative movement between the boot sole and the upper surface of the pedal. The movement occurs between the lower surface of the pedal and its base. Such a support plate has the advantage that the frictional forces are better controlled; in particular, they are not dependent upon the state of the boot sole. Moreover, a support plate of this type is compatible with a walking shoe/boot, whose sole is provided with studs.

[0006] However, one difficulty to overcome is the control of the movement of the pedal, and its return to the centered position.

[0007] To avoid the friction forces between the boot sole and the pedal, the pedal must follow the boot displacement trajectory as much as possible. In general, the trajectory followed by the front portion of the boot sole is considered to be an arc of a circle centered on the tibial axis.

[0008] Among the constructions of movable support plates, there are slide constructions where the pedal is guided in a sort of a slide. Such a support plate is described, for example, in the Patent Application DE 39 18 938. With these constructions, it is difficult to set a trajectory in an arc of a circle. Generally, the pedals move in a straight line, or with a very large radius of curvature. Moreover, these plates are not very reliable, because snow or dirt can get between the pedal and its guiding slide.

[0009] According to another mode of construction, the pedal is completely free; it is only connected to the ski by a spring wire or a cable, which sets its trajectory. The construction of such a support plate is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,965. The reliability of this mode of construction is better. But a disadvantage is that until now, it allows displacement trajectories having a very small radius, which are dependent upon the length of the guiding wire.

[0010] Thus, for either case, there remains a relative movement, and, therefore, residual friction forces between the boot sole and the pedal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An object of the invention is to propose a construction of an improved support plate having a movable pedal, whose construction is simple, and the trajectory of which is controlled so as to further reduce the relative displacements between the pedal and the boot sole.

[0012] According to the invention, the support plate includes a base provided to be affixedly connected to the ski, a pedal fastened to the base, movable on both sides of a centered position, with an upper surface provided to receive the boot sole. A wire spring is fastened to the base on one side, and to the pedal on the other side, and in between its points for fastening to the base and the pedal, the spring is bent with at least one elbow.

[0013] By operating in this way, the spring wire can deform in a complex manner which places the pedal center of rotation far behind the spring, and which provides a radius of curvature that is markedly larger than the longitudinal space requirement of the spring.

[0014] Furthermore, the complex shape of the spring allows the pedal to move away from its theoretical trajectory, in the case where it would be forced to do so by the boot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] The invention will be better understood from the description that follows, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a side view of a support plate according to the invention associated with a front retaining element.

[0017]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the various components of the support plate.

[0018]FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the support plate of FIG. 1.

[0019]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the support plate without the trap for sealing the recess.

[0020]FIG. 5 is a top view of the spring.

[0021]FIG. 6 is a side view of the spring.

[0022]FIG. 7 is a perspective, bottom view of the pedal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023]FIG. 1 shows a side view of a retaining element 1 that is provided to releasably retain the front end of a boot. This element is of a known type. The element shown has a mounting base 2 provided to be affixedly assembled to the ski. The body 3 of the element is pivotally mounted with respect to the mounting base. It carries, toward the rear, a jaw 4 for retaining the boot. In a known fashion, the retaining jaw is capable of moving laterally on either side of a centered position, against the return force of a spring or other elastic return device. This construction is not limiting for the invention, and any other known construction of a front element is also contemplated as being suitable.

[0024] Toward the rear, the retaining element has a support plate 6 on which the front portion of the boot sole rests.

[0025] According to the invention, the support plate 6 includes a pedal 7 having an upper surface 8, at least a portion of which is in contact with the boot sole. Preferably, the upper surface 8 of the pedal is bulged, i.e., outwardly convex, along a longitudinal direction to limit the contact surface between the pedal and the sole.

[0026] The pedal is movable laterally with respect to a base 9 to which it is fastened by a spring 10 which controls the trajectory of its displacement.

[0027] Contrary to certain known devices, the pedal is not guided laterally in slides. It is only connected to a spring that guides its trajectory along the displacement imposed by the boot sole.

[0028] The base 9 has a rear portion 11 that extends behind the pedal, and a front portion 12 that is located beneath the pedal, and which connects to the mounting base of the retaining element at the front. The pedal rests on the front portion of the base. The rear portion of the base is higher than the front portion, the difference in height corresponding approximately to the thickness of the pedal in this area. A transverse surface 14 resulting from the difference in height demarcates the two portions of the base. The upper surface 8 of the pedal projects along a vertical direction with respect to the base, in particular the rear portion of the base.

[0029] The base 9 is recessed at the bottom, and its recess 15 extends beneath the two portions of the base. The rear portion of the recess communicates with the top of the front portion of the base by a transverse slit 16 over the larger portion of the width of the surface 14.

[0030] The spring 10 is obtained as a lengthy spring wire, shaped by bending, so as to form a succession of segments connected to one another by elbows.

[0031] With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the spring 10 is generally symmetrical with respect to a vertical and longitudinal median plane which corresponds to that of the retaining element.

[0032] The two ends 18 and 19 of the wire are bent generally vertically upwardly, and they form the fasteners of the spring to the base 9. These ends are engaged in bores of the base 9 on the edges of the recess 15. The wire then describes, on each side, a rectilinear segment 20, 21 followed by an elbow 22, 23 of about 180 degrees, followed by another rectilinear segment 24, 25 that is extended slightly beyond elbowed ends 18, 19, followed by an elbow 26, 27 of about 180 degrees, followed by another rectilinear segment 28, 29. The two segments 28 and 29 extend side-by-side and are joined at the front by an elbow 30.

[0033] Seen from the side, the segments 20, 21, elbows 22, 23, segments 24 and 25 extend in a same substantially horizontal plane. This portion of the spring is housed in the recess 15 of the base. In the area of the elbows 26 and 27, the wire of the spring is slightly bent upwardly, the segments 28 and 29 and the loop 30 being raised progressively above the preceding horizontal plane. Toward the middle of the segments 28 and 29, the spring 10 extends through the slit 16 of the base such that the median loop 30 projects out above the front portion 12.

[0034] Once the spring is in place in the recess 15, a trap 31 is positioned so as to seal the opening of the recess. Other modes of construction could also be used.

[0035] The pedal 7 is connected to the median loop 30. According to the embodiment shown, the bottom of the pedal 7 has an inlet passage 32 that communicates with a recess 33 provided for housing the loop and opening out on the upper surface of the pedal 7. A latch 35 with a plug 36 seals the recess 33, the plug being housed within the loop 30. The latch is immobilized by a screw 37.

[0036] When the pedal moves on either side, it brings along the median loop 30 of the spring, which causes the remainder of the spring to deform by the bending of the loops and of the segments. Advantageously, because the ends 18 and 19 are curved upwardly, they behave like journal axes about which the segments 20 and 21 pivot.

[0037] The trajectory of the pedal 7 is dictated by the deformation of the spring 10. The shape of the spring shown in the figures provides a trajectory that is very close to an arc of a circle centered on the rear of the boot. The shape of the spring with its successive bends is such that its deformation is complex, which rejects the center of rotation far behind its points for fastening to the base 9, and which provides a much larger radius of curvature than the longitudinal space requirement of the spring.

[0038] Further, the shape of the spring 10 with its successive bends enables the pedal 7 to slightly move away from its theoretical trajectory. Thus, the pedal 7 follows the boot trajectory with precision, even if the latter does not correspond exactly to an arc of a circle centered on the tibial axis. The spring 10 also allows the pedal 7 to have a rotational movement about an approximately longitudinal axis.

[0039] Finally, the spring 10 not only guides the trajectory of the pedal 7, but it also ensures its elastic return to the centered position, in particular as soon as the boot is released.

[0040] Preferably, to mark the centered position by a hard point, the slit 16 is enlarged in its central portion by a cutout 16 a in which the segments 28 and 29 of the spring are housed when the pedal 7 is in the centered position.

[0041] The surface 14 of the base 9 and the opposite surface 38 are also incurved. Seen from the top, they have a rearward curvature, the radius of curvature being approximately equal to the length of a boot.

[0042] However, there is preferably a clearance between these two surfaces 14, 38. They are provided to come in contact with one another only if the pedal 7 moves too far from its theoretical trajectory.

[0043] The shape of the spring 10 which has been given is not limiting, and other methods for shaping the spring could also be used. In particular, the segments could be curved. An important feature is that the spring 10 is bent with successive elbows, so that it includes such bends, in order to obtain a complex deformation whose radius of curvature is markedly larger than the lengthwise space requirement of the spring.

[0044] Preferably, the pedal 7 rests on the front portion of the base 9 via transverse ramps that promote its lateral movement.

[0045] In the embodiment shown, the bottom of the pedal 7 has two flat portions 40 and 41 that project downwardly. The flat portions are located on both sides of the longitudinal median plane of the pedal 7. There are also offset along a longitudinal direction for a reason that will be explained subsequently. On each side of the flat portions, there is a ramp that extends toward each lateral edge of the pedal. Thus, the flat portion 40 is surrounded by two ramps 42, 43, and the flat portion 41 by two ramps 44, 45. The flat portions are offset laterally on each side of a longitudinal median plane, so that among the ramps, the ramps 43 and 44 cover more than half of the width of the pedal.

[0046] The front portion of the base also has two flat portions 46 and 47 projecting upwardly. The flat portions of the pedal 7 rest on the flat portions of the base when the pedal is in the centered position. In the same fashion as for the pedal, the flat portions 46, 47 of the base are edged with ramps 48, 49, 50, 51 which extend toward its lateral edges, and the ramps 49 and 50 extend beneath the ramps 43 and 44 over more than half of the width of the base. The fact that the flat portions are offset laterally and that the ramps 43, 44, 49 and 50 are long ramps provides the pedal with good stability in the centered position, and makes it possible to obtain a compensating effect over a large displacement trajectory of the pedal, as will now be described.

[0047] When the pedal 7 is in the centered position, its flat portions rest on the flat portions of the base 9.

[0048] When the pedal 7 moves laterally, and a vertical force is simultaneously applied on the pedal, the pedal and the base 9 rest one on the other via long ramps of the base or of the pedal. Due to the sloping of the ramps, the vertical support on the pedal induces a lateral force component that contributes to the lateral movement of the pedal. This component compensates for the increase in the frictional forces which comes precisely from the vertical support of the pedal.

[0049] If the boot biases the jaw with a twisting component about a longitudinal axis, the pedal 7 has the possibility to accompany this movement as it moves away from its centered position. Two of the flat portions serve as a pivot point for the pedal. The other flat portions move away from one another. The short ramps 42, 45, 48, 51 serve as a clearance to allow the tilting of the pedal 7.

[0050] The flat portions of the pedal 7 and of the base 9 are advantageously offset along a longitudinal direction so that there is no interference between the ramps, in view of the large amplitude of the lateral movement of the pedal. The movable plate is thereby well adapted to a front retaining element that has a large elastic displacement trajectory of the jaw before the release of the boot.

[0051] Moreover, preferably, the long ramps 49 and 50 of the base 9 are enlarged as they move away from their respective flat portion 46 and 47 to take into account the trajectory of the flat portions 40 and 41 of the pedal 7 during its lateral displacement.

[0052] The present description is provided for guidance only, and other embodiments of the invention could be adopted without leaving the scope thereof.

[0053] In particular, instead of a wire spring, one could use a spring formed by a blade or a band, i.e., having a flattened cross-section. In fact, the cross-section of the wire is not necessarily circular.

[0054] Moreover, the support plate can be associated with any type of element for retaining a boot on a gliding board other than a ski, in particular a short ski, a snowboard, or the like.

[0055] The instant application is based upon the French Patent Application No. 00 06176, filed May 10, 2000, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A support plate provided to be associated with an element for retaining a boot on a gliding board, said support plate comprising: a base to be affixed to the ski; a pedal fastened to the base, said pedal being mounted for transverse movement on both sides of a centered position with respect to said base, said pedal having an upper surface to receive a sole of the boot; a wire spring fastening said pedal to said base, said spring having a first side fastened to said pedal and a second side fastened to said base, said fastening of said wire spring to said pedal and said base solely guiding a trajectory of said pedal, and between said first and second sides of said spring fastened to said pedal and said base, said spring includes at least one bend having at least one elbow.
 2. A support plate according to claim 1 , wherein: said at least one bend of said spring comprises bends having a succession of linear segments and elbows.
 3. A support plate according to claim 2 , wherein: said spring is symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal median plane; on opposite sides of said longitudinal median plane, said spring is formed by a succession of three linear segments joined two-by-two by elbows, ones of said segments closest to said longitudinal median plane being joined by a median elbow.
 4. A support plate according to claim 2 , wherein: beneath said base a recess is provided, a portion of said spring is housed in said recess.
 5. A support plate according to claim 4 , wherein: said spring includes ends bent generally vertically upwardly and engaged in bores provided in lateral surfaces defining said recess.
 6. A support plate according to claim 4 , wherein: said base includes a rear portion and a front portion, said rear portion being raised with respect to said front portion; said pedal is located above said front portion; a transversely extending surface is provided with a transverse slit demarcating said rear and front portions of said base.
 7. A support plate according to claim 6 , wherein: said spring includes a median loop extending through said transverse slit.
 8. A support plate according to claim 1 , wherein: said spring includes a median loop, said pedal being fastened to said median loop of said spring.
 9. A support plate according to claim 8 , wherein: said spring includes a median loop housed in a recess of said pedal, said recess being sealed by a latch including a plug housed within said loop.
 10. An element for retaining a boot on a ski, said element comprising a support plate according to claim 1 .
 11. An element for retaining a boot on a ski according to claim 10 , further comprising: a jaw for engaging a portion of the boot.
 12. An element for retaining a boot on a ski according to claim 11 , wherein: said jaw is adapted to engage a front end of a boot; said support plate extends rearwardly of said jaw. 